Tadgear's Articles #6: Space . . . A Place Where No One Can Hear You Explode

In article 6 of this series, I look into the explosions found in Star Wars to see which is the most realistic: a ship's explosion, the Death Star's explosion, or Starkiller base's explosion.

Star Wars is one of the most beloved franchises of all time. It is also a franchise which is commonly used to show what does NOT happen in space. One example is the common explosions in the space battles the movies usually have. This article is not going to go over that common knowledge, but is instead going to compare three explosions throughout the movies and see which is the most realistic. Spoilers ahead, as some of these explosions are major plot devices.

The three explosions that will be covered are that of a common combat ship, such as a TIE fighter, the explosion of the 

Death Star (the first time), and the destruction of Starkiller Base. Before comparing the three though, how explosions work must be explained. An explosion is a term used in to describe the burst of an object. The common tropes of an explosion include a big boom and lots of fire. This puts already shows why the explosions in Star Wars aren't realistic. First of all, it is common knowledge that sound doesn't travel in space. Fire is similar, but unlike sound, it spreads through the diffusion of heat (All About Fire). For example, when you open the oven, there is a rush of heat. Finally, for an explosion to start, 3 factors are required. The first has already been discussed: atmosphere. The other two are a starting point for the explosion and an object to ignite said starting point.

Now, to begin comparing the three. To start off, the common combat ships in the movies have explosions that either engulf the entire ship all at once, or spread throughout the ship over time (Lucas 1977). The ladder is more realistic, as flames can spread inside the ship due to there being an atmosphere. The engulfing ships are less realistic though, as an outward explosion is near impossible without a highly cohesive substance. They also generate louder noises, which increase their lack of realism. 

As for the Death Star, the shape of the explosion is unusual. A giant ring is created along with the traditional path of going out in all directions (Lucas 1977). The original explosion does have a more realistic size considering the amount of matter inside the weapon itself, but the ring ruins it slightly. It could be seen as a sonic boom maybe, but still, sound does not travel in space. 

Finally, there is Starkiller Base. Instead of a traditional explosion like the others, the planet instead collapses in on itself and forms a star (Abrams 2015). This makes some sense, considering half a sun's matter is within the planet (Abrams 2015). There's also the planet's atmosphere itself, which would be large enough to create some outward flares and even generate some sound if close enough. The big issue here though is that the star created seems to be the exact size as the planet itself. Stars are much denser than planets, so what was left that the planet could offer would not have been enough to create a star of equal size. Also, there's the planets slow collapse over a brisk one, which is highly unrealistic considering the stronger force of gravity that stars bring.

If I had to choose which explosions was the most realistic, it would have been those slow-dying TIE fighters and X-Wings. While not completely possible, they hold more merit than that of the others. The unusual patterns of the other explosions just don't hold up compared to those tiny fighters.

In the end, Star Wars is an amazing franchise with some much to love. It has its flaws, surely, but just like any media, it is meant for enjoyment. That's why so many people like to criticize the tiny things in the movies. The stories are just so good that all people can do are criticize the little things. Hopefully in the future, we can learn more from these movies and all stories to come. Both for entertainment and information.

Sources:

Kennedy, K., Burk, B., & Abrams, J. J. (15 December, 2015). Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens. United States: Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Kurtz, G.,  & Lucas, G. (25 May, 1977). Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope. United States: Lucasfilm Ltd.

National Fire Protection Association. Reporter’s Guide: All About Fire. A Reporter’s Guide to Fire and the NFPA. Retrieved from nfpa.org/News-and-Research/News-and-media/Press-Room/Reporters-Guide-to-Fire-and-NFPA/All-about-fire.

Author's Note

Sources in APA.